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14 fascinating maps of the world

12. Railways This map shows the world's nations according to their railways. Those shown in dark blue have the most extensive networks, those in lighter colours the smallest. Unsurprisingly, the largest and most populous countries dominate, with the USA, China, Russia, India and Canada making up the top five. There are some more surprising findings, however. The British attachment to rail travel is clear. It has the world's 17th largest rail network, at 17,732km, despite being just the 78th largest nation by land area. That figure was once as high as 34,000km. Romania's 22,298km network is also impressive, putting it 15th on the list, even though it is only the world's 81st largest country. Many countries don't have any railways at all, often due to the harsh, mountainous or densely forested surroundings. They include Iceland, Greenland, Yemen, Oman, Bhutan, Libya and Papua New Guinea. Explore the interactive map here